Hands of the Dark Side
by AaylaSecura
Summary: Click on this please! You'll see a summary inside. Read and review please! WARNING: CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS FOR EPISODE THREE: REVENGE OF THE SITH. IF YOU DON'T LIKE THAT, PLEASE READ THIS ANYWAY!
1. Yes, Master

** Hands of the Dark Side**

A young girl has fallen into the hands of the Dark Side, and Anakin has begun his descent. It's up to Obi-Wan to bring them both back, but time is of the essence. Does he have enough?

**Hi. Okay. That was the summary. Now let's see how the story goes. I'm not sure about exactly what I want to do, and I'm not sure if you'll like the first chapter. But PLEASE R&R**!

Chapter One

Yes, Master

Carissa Hando fell to the floor, the result of another punch landing on her already bruised and perhaps broken jaw. "I can stop this," a voice came from above her. Carissa coughed up blood and rolled onto her side. She could see the bottom of a black robe. She placed a hand on the ground and pushed herself partially up and looked up at the figure above her, defiance evident in her pain-filled but gleaming eyes.

"I will _never_ bow to you," Carissa replied courageously. She had pushed herself halfway up and was trying to get to her knees. Suddenly, she was kicked in the stomach; and she fell back to the ground, trying very hard to keep herself from moaning or crying out in pain.

She waited for the next kick, but it never came. Instead, she was lifted gently and taken to a room. She was gingerly laid on a bed, and she immediately tried to get away. She knew that she was only hurting herself further, but she couldn't risk being in Imperial hands for much longer.

A hand held her down, and she struggled against it, panic threatening to overwhelm her. Her chance of escape was so close and yet so far. She could almost touch it, but there was no way she would ever reach it. Suddenly, a strange gas filled the room. That made Sam struggle even harder. However, she could not hold out against the gas any longer, even with the Force. She just did not have the strength. The last thing she did and saw was look up at the face of the person restraining her, and she saw he was wearing a gas mask. Then, she succumbed to the black darkness that was beckoning to her.

When Carissa awoke, she was fully clothed with clean clothes, which did not have any holes or tears in them. She was clean, and her hair was brushed. Carissa became very confused. Why would her captor have wanted her to be cleaned if he was only going to hurt her and make her dirty again? That thought lifted Carissa's spirits more than anything she had thought since she had been captured. It meant that he _wasn't_ going to hurt her again! He might even let her go!

Carissa did not have much time to dwell on any thoughts, because at that moment, the door opened. Two stormtroopers moved to stand in front of her as she stood up, the white gown that she had been dressed in flowing around her. "The Emperor requests your presence," one of the stormtroopers said.

"Tell him that I refuse to speak to him," Carissa replied.

"He gives you his word that you will not be harmed," the stormtrooper told the girl.

"His word is about as good as a Wookie's," Carissa replied. She tried to keep from laughing. It was obvious she was annoying the stormtroopers. They had probably been given orders to bring her without hurting her.

"He says that if you do not appear before him, he will continue using his hunter's methods to make you appear," the stormtrooper said. That did it. Carissa knew when she had worn her welcome thin. She was not afraid of him, but she would rather have avoided being beaten again. She would be able to keep a clear mind and perhaps escape. She was tired of being around Imperials all the time, and she wanted very much to get a social life again.

The stormtroopers escorted Carissa to the throne room of wherever she was. "Ah, I'm glad you decided to come," a voice came from the chair on an elevated platform in the center of the room.

"I don't think you have given me much of a choice, for I surely would have chosen not to come had I been allowed," Carissa replied with contempt.

"You had a choice," the voice replied, "and you chose the right one."

"I would much like to keep an open and clear mind," Carissa said.

"To plan an escape," the voice sneered. "Let me tell you something, girl. You will never escape from me, and in time, you will call me 'Master'."

"I would just as soon go back to being in the hands of your bounty hunters," Carissa replied defiantly.

"If you would like, I can arrange that!" the voice yelled. There was silence. Finally, the voice continued. "Girl, there are many things about this world that you don't understand. I can help you understand them. In return, all I want is to train you. I know your powers. I _have_ your powers." Carissa was dumbstruck. How had he known about her being Force-sensitive? The figure seemed to know that, for he smiled and continued, walking closer and closer to Carissa until he was right in front of her. "I can feel you. I know. You can do your best to hide it or shield it, but I can still feel it. I am very experienced, and I can help you be the same. I can train you. I, Lord Darth Sidious, will become your new Master. When I pass on, you can take the reins from me and do as I have done. You will become a ruler."

Carissa had no idea what was going on. She couldn't resist. She had to take this man's offer. It did sound pretty intriguing anyway. "Yes, Master."

**Well, what did you think? Let me know, and I'll get the next chapters up quickly! (And I promise that Anakin and Obi-Wan will be in the next chapter!)  
**


	2. Continuing Descent

** Hands of the Dark Side**

**Well, let's see what this next chapter holds, shall we?**

Chapter Two

Continuing Descent

Days passed. Weeks passed. Months passed. Every day, Carissa learned more about the Dark Side and how to harness her powers for its use. She was eventually taught to hate the Jedi and not to trust or become close to anybody. She was taught that the Dark Side was the most powerful and that the Light Side had no effect and was pointless.

Carissa soon became somewhat of a right hand person to Darth Sidious, ready to take the reins from him in any event. She had heard much talk of another person like her. She had heard that she and the mystery person were each very talented and useful, but they had weak minds easily molded in the ways and ideas of the Dark Side. Carissa didn't care what people thought of her. She was strong, courageous, and skilled in almost anything one could name. She had little idea that a big change was just around the bend in her life.

Master, Padawan, and Senator walked along the riverbanks of Naboo. Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, and Amidala Padme had decided to take the day "off" and have a recreational day before they returned to the pressing issues continuing to pile up against the Jedi and polititcians. Obi-Wan had not figured out that Padme and Anakin were married, so they decided to continue to play it safe and not let on. "It is a beautiful day," Obi-Wan said, startling Anakin out of his thoughts.

"Oh, yes," Anakin muttered. Obi-Wan looked over, knowing that something was wrong with his usually peppy Padawan. Anakin was always overjoyed to take a trip to Naboo and its luscious surroundings and even more overjoyed to take a day "off." Today, his Padawan was not like himself. Obi-Wan decided that he would not confront his Padawan about it but ease into the topic.

"We are grateful that you could accompany us on this walk," Padme said politely with a smile.

"I am grateful that you would have me," Obi-Wan replied. "I could only dream of such an extraordinary time in such a beautiful place anytime else."

Silence fell over the three once again as they continued to walk. They stopped at the edge of a very short cliff that overlooked the glassy lake in front of them. Padme bit her lip. She knew she would regret herself in the morning, but she had to have some fun. She thrust her arms out, and they connected with Anakin's back. With a look of shock upon his handsome face and his arms shooting out as a result of natural reflexes, he jumped off the edge of the cliff to keep from falling down it. He hit the water with a splash, and a shocked Obi-Wan looked at Padme. When he saw the smile on her face, he immediately brightened; and the two tried to keep in the bundles of laughter that threatened to overwhelm them.

Anakin broke the surface with a gasp. The water was warm but still not welcome. His eyes immediately went to Padme, and he glared at her. He knew that she had been the one who had pushed him off. She only looked at him innocently with a smile and an I-didn't-do-anything gleam in her eyes. His features immediately changed, and he smiled. Padme stopped smiling, because she knew something was about to happen. Before she could protest, she was lifted by the Force and dropped into the water. She screamed on her way down and splashed water on Anakin as she landed. "Come, Master," Anakin said as Padme broke the surface, gasping and spluttering and trying to drown her secret husband. "The water is fine. Won't you join us?"

Even as Obi-Wan shook his head, he could feel the Force pulling him off of the rocky edge of the cliff and dropping him into the water. As much as he tried to resist it, he hadn't been prepared against his Padawan's abilities.

With all three of the friends in the water, the inevitable happened. Padme and Obi-Wan ganged up against Anakin. Anakin had the advantage of youth against Obi-Wan and the advantage of lighter clothing against his secret wife. He out swam both of his tormentors and made it to the island before either of them. Second later, both of the other friends reached the island; and Anakin helped the both up. The gasping friends lay on the shore for a moment on their backs, regaining their breath and drying off a bit. "Anakin Skywalker," Padme finally said, turning to lie on her side with her arm extended upward. "I will never forgive you."

"As will I you," Anakin replied. "You are the one that started the whole thing, remember?" All three friends laughed and looked at each other. The sand from the island had stuck to all of their wet clothing. Padme's dress stuck to her body, making it look much thinner than it really was. Her hair, which was in two buns on either side of her head, was messed up with stray hair strands everywhere. Obi-Wan and Anakin's tunics stuck to their bodies, making them look paper thin; and the two men's hair was slicked back and pasted to their head.

"I suppose we had better get back," Obi-Wan said, looking at the beautiful sunset. "It's getting a little late."

"Yes, but how are we to get back?" Padme asked. A splash fully answered that question, and Obi-Wan and Padme looked toward the lake to see Anakin already swimming back. Padme shrugged quickly and jumped in after him, following him. Obi-Wan did the same. Together, the three swam back to one of Padme's residences. They dried off and put on clean clothes. They all agreed that the day had been very fun, and they had forgotten all their worries for the whole day. That night, however, was quite a restless night, for all of them remembered what they would be dealing with tomorrow.

Anakin had the most to worry about. Lately, he had been talking with Palpatine more and more; and the Jedi had begun to get suspicious of him. That, of course, was causing a great rift between Anakin and the rest of the Jedi. But what troubled Anakin the most was that Palpatine had begun to talk of a great power greater than anything that the Jedi had seen. When Anakin had begun to ask about this power, however, Palpatine would somehow change the subject. Anakin resolved to ask Palpatine about it the next day and get a straight and full answer. Then he would grasp that power and harness it for himself. Maybe then he would prove to his Master how powerful he really was. He would prove it to everybody, for everybody except Padme had doubted and distrusted him. They would see. They would all see. And then they would regret ever holding him back.

**Ooh. Getting a little mean. I wonder what will happen next, and I wonder what will happen when Anakin meets Carissa. Stay tuned to find out! (R&R please!)**


	3. A Twist of Fate

** Hands of the Dark Side**

**Next chapter. Okay. This chapter is a little longer, and things take a twist. Read and find out!**

Chapter Three

A Twist of Fate

Anakin Skywalker awoke very early the next day. He was the first one ready, and he mediated the rest of the morning until his Master was ready. The Master and Padawan and Senator Padme boarded a sleek cruiser and blasted off on a path toward Coruscant. Obi-Wan Kenobi glanced over at his Padawan. Normally, Anakin would have been overjoyed to be on such a nice ship. If he wasn't inspecting the ship and its controls, he was helping the pilot or fixing something in his quarters. He loved technology. Today, however, Anakin seemed to be in a distant world. He didn't seem to be aware of anything around him as he sat erectly in his chair. This worried Obi-Wan, and he decided to find out what was wrong. He quietly slid over to sit next to his Padawan. Anakin didn't notice. This worried Obi-Wan even more. "Hey," he said.

This seemed to snap his Padawan out of his trance-like state, and Anakin visibly jumped. "Oh," he said, noticing that it was only Obi-Wan. "Hi." Then he went back to his trance.

Obi-Wan was determined to get through to his Padawan. "How do you like the ship?"

Anakin looked up at his Master, a look of utter confusion written on his face for only a second. It passed so quickly, Obi-Wan wasn't sure that he had seen it.

Anakin looked up at his Master and then glanced around at different parts of the ship. "It's nice," he said. Why wouldn't Obi-Wan leave him alone? Couldn't his Master see he wanted to be alone? Still, Obi-Wan pressed on, aggravating Anakin.

"Yes, it is. But the Anakin I know would never have said that."

"I'm just not feeling well, Master," Anakin replied, trying to keep his cool. A Jedi would never explode in front of his Master or anyone.

"Physically or emotionally?" Obi-Wan asked.

That startled Anakin. What had provoked his Master to say something like that? A tiny amount of panic flowed into him. He was getting boxed in. It seemed that there was nothing he could hide from his Master. Every time he wanted to do something, Obi-Wan was right there. About the only thing Anakin had ever been able to keep from the keen mind of Obi-Wan was his secret marriage of Senator Amidala Padme.

Obi-Wan knew something was wrong with his Padawan, and he knew that it wasn't physically. Anakin rarely ever got away with something. Obi-Wan knew his Padawan well, and Anakin had no chance of getting away with anything. He noticed that Anakin seemed startled and even a little bit panicky at his last question, and for a moment, he was afraid that Anakin would just get up and leave. He didn't.

"I'm just confused," Anakin replied. Then he stood up. "I think I'm going to go get some rest. We have a long journey ahead of us."

"You have no idea," Obi-Wan breathed as Anakin walked off. "You have no idea." Obi-Wan shook his head and walked off to take his position at the nav-computer again.

It seemed to Anakin like he had just closed his eyes, and yet they were already at Coruscant. Obi-Wan Kenobi had gently awakened him, and Anakin stretched and got up. Immediately, his senses were alert. Today was the day he was going to find out what power Chancellor Palpatine was talking about.

Obi-Wan and Anakin walked down the ramp leading off of the ship. Their brisk pace and erect stature made them stand out as Jedi. They arrived at the Temple in no time, all the while silent. This worried Obi-Wan still further. Anakin was the most talkative Jedi he knew, and yet Anakin seemed so distant in a far away world.

The first thing the Master-Padawan team did was walk up to the Jedi Council chambers and report to the Jedi Council. "Good to have you back, it is," Yoda greeted them.

"Thank you, Master Yoda," Obi-Wan replied.

"Things have been piling up," Mace Windu said in his usual monotonous voice. "We need you."

"We are here," Obi-Wan replied.

"We have a new mission for you," Shaak-Ti told the team. "Master Kenobi, you and your Padawan have little time to prepare. We would like if you would get started right away. Don't be confused. You will get your mission."

Anakin and Obi-Wan nodded and started to leave. Obi-Wan suddenly felt someone telling him something through the Force. He could also sense that it was channeled directly to him, not him and Anakin. "Anakin," he said, "you go ahead and get ready. I will meet you at your chambers in exactly one hour. Be ready."

Anakin nodded and walked off. Obi-Wan waited until Anakin was out of sight, and then he turned and headed back to the Jedi Council chambers. "You requested me?" he asked.

"Yes," Shaak-Ti replied. "I'm glad you got our message. We need to talk to you about Anakin. This mission may be dangerous to him and the Jedi. He has begun spending quite a bit of time around the Chancellor, and we are afraid he may be poisoning Anakin's mind. It is up to you to make sure that he doesn't do any harm to your Padawan's mind. That is exactly what you will be doing. You must ask Anakin to keep an eye on Palpatine. We believe that he may be up to no good."

"You do know that Anakin will try to protest," Obi-Wan said, raising his eyebrow.

Shaak-Ti nodded. "That is why we are trusting you," she said. "We know that you are the only one that can get through to him. Please, Obi-Wan. You must."

"I will do my best," Obi-Wan replied. Shaak-Ti nodded again, and Obi-Wan bowed and walked out of the chambers with a big problem ahead of him. How was he going to get Anakin to listen to him?

In about an hour and a half, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker had arrived at the Chancellor's chambers. Obi-Wan had briefly told Anakin that he was to keep an eye on Palpatine, but that was all he had told him. "Are you afraid he may be up to something?" Anakin had asked.

"Anakin, you must listen to me and understand me. Very soon, you will become a Jedi; and you will not be my Padawan anymore. We think that the Chancellor may be doing something to stop you from becoming a Jedi," Obi-Wan had replied, choosing his words carefully.

"The Chancellor would never do that," Anakin had replied. "He is a kind man, and he is helping me."

"Anakin, you must listen to me. Just keep an open mind. I am not saying that you must shun him or stay away from him, but you are our only hope of finding out what he is doing. The Council wants you to report on all the Chancellor's doings."

"That's treason."

"We are at war, Anakin; and your duty is to the Jedi."

That conversation had been in the lobby. The two then rode up the turbolift and to the Chancellor's chambers. The entire ride was made in silence. Obi-Wan rang the doorbell, and the door was very quickly. "Ah!" Chancellor Palpatine cried, seeing the two Jedi, "come in. I have been expecting you."

"Thank you, but I have to be going right now," Obi-Wan replied. "I have another meeting. I will be back to pick up Anakin in a few hours."

The Chancellor smiled, Anakin walked into his chambers, and Obi-Wan left, keeping a strong open end through his connection to Anakin through the Force. "So," Palpatine told the young man before him, "Master Obi-Wan would never leave you hear with me just for a social call. What is he planning?"

"Actually," Anakin said hesitantly, "there are some things I want to talk to you about. Mainly, I want to know what this great power you talk about is; and I want a straight answer right now."

Palpatine smiled. "I guess I _have_ been avoiding that subject quite a bit, haven't I? It's about time you know. Anakin, that power is the Dark Side."

Anakin reeled back in surprise. All his life he had been taught to avoid the Dark Side and that it was bad. How could a man that he held so dear to him have just said that it had so much of a great power? Anakin recovered quickly, however, and listened as his mentor explained.

"The Dark Side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural," Palpatine said.

"Is it possible to learn this power?" Anakin asked.

"Not from a Jedi," Palpatine replied. "Learn to know the Dark Side of the Force and you will achieve a power greater than any Jedi."

"I cannot do it. I must report all your actions to the Jedi Council," Anakin said almost sadly. "My duty is to the Jedi."

"Is it?" Palpatine asked. Anakin looked at him quizzically. "I need your help, son. I'm appointing you to be my personal representative on the Jedi Council."

The two had been walking down a small flight of stairs, and Palpatine turned to Anakin, put his hand on the boy's back, and led him outside, where they talked and waited until Obi-Wan returned to pick up his Padawan.

Obi-Wan knew at once that something was wrong. He knew that this wasn't going to work. Something had gone wrong, and Anakin looked different. Obi-Wan resolved to get what Anakin already knew, and then he would keep Anakin from ever seeing the Chancellor again. Palpatine was hurting him. If only he could see that. He thought back to the short conversation he had had with Mace Windu on a transport over a battlefield that they had gone to help with.

"_I hope Anakin will be okay with Chancellor Palpatine for the moment. We need the information he can get," Obi-Wan said._

_"Very dangerous putting them together," Mace Windu replied. "I don't think the boy can handle it. I don't trust him."_

Master Windu had been right. It was too dangerous for them to be together, and it was hurting Anakin. Obi-Wan resolved to put a stop to it then and there. "Come, Anakin. We must go. The Council requests our presence," Obi-Wan said. With a quick glance to a smiling Chancellor, he and Anakin boarded an air taxi and took off.

Palpatine had been smiling, but underneath, he knew exactly what Obi-Wan had meant and planned to do. That was all right, though. Palpatine had his own plans as he walked back into the lobby and to the turbolift and finally to his chambers. Oh yes. Things were about to take a little detour.

**Wow! Long chapter! But it was good. What did _you_ think? Don't just sit there! Tell me! I can't wait to hear from you, and I promise to have the next chapter up relatively soon!**


	4. Crossing Paths

** Hands of the Dark Side**

**Whee! Here we go! (Oh! By the way, I don't own Mace Windu, Shaak-Ti, or any other Jedi Council members. I'm just using them right now, and I'm not making any money off of this!)**

Chapter Four

Crossing Paths

Carissa waked through the corridors of the building. Even though she had been there for about six months, she still had no idea exactly where she was. She didn't even know what planet she was on. She wore all black, and her black hair tumbled down her back. The stormtroopers had learned to stay away from her and respect her as they did the Emperor himself. _A wise decision_, Carissa thought as she watched the stormtroopers moved to the sides of the corridors to let her through.

Finally, she arrived at the throne room. The first thing she did was bow. "Rise, young one," the Emperor said, coming off of his throne and walking toward her as she rose.

"What do ask of me, my lord?" Carissa asked.

"I wish nothing more than a simple task," Sidious replied. "You have been with me for quite a while. Now, it is time for you to show me your loyalty and put my teachings and counsel to good use. I wish you to find a young Jedi Padawan named Anakin Skywalker. This is a simple reconnaissance mission. You are not to harm him. You are only to watch him and report back to me in a week."

"Yes, my lord," Carissa replied with a slight bow. She knew better than to question her Master, although she had many questions in her mind. What would her Master want with a Jedi, and why would he ask her not to harm him? These and many other questions clouded her mind as she walked back down the corridors with her lord to the landing platform. Sidious would watch her leave and then go back to his throne room. He had more things to do and plan.

"The ship is on auto-pilot," Sidious told his apprentice. "It will take you to your destination. From there, you are to contact me, and I will give you further instructions."

"Yes, my lord," Carissa replied. "I will not fail you."

"Good," Sidious said. "Now go."

Carissa climbed into the ship, did everything she needed to, and turned the ship on. As it lifted off, Carissa had no idea what was in store for her. She only knew that she would not fail her Master.

Carissa began to get pretty bored, so she got up and started to walk around. She found a hidden compartment and opened it cautiously, so as not to disturb it if it was a bomb or something like that. It wasn't. There were a couple things in the compartment, but the first thing Carissa saw was a note. She took it and read it. It said:

_My dear,_

_I knew you would be smart and cunning enough to find this. Take these things and use them to the best of your abilities. You must not be seen, and you must not give away your true identity as a female. For as you are cunning, most people don't know that; and they will try to take advantage of you. That will only detour your mission. Contact me when you reach your destination, and I will give you further instructions. Until then, use what you have and don't disappoint me._

Darth Sidious 

Carissa put the note down and drew out the things from the compartment. The first thing was a black cape just long enough to reach down to the middle of Carissa's thighs and a cowl. The second thing was a black mask with eyeholes and holes for the nose and mouth. That obviously wasn't going to be used unless Carissa wasn't able to wear her cape and cowl. The third and final thing was a stealth suit.

Carissa took all three of these things and stored them safely back into the compartment. She would use them once she reached her destination. She started to walk back to the cockpit, but she was thrown forward when the ship lurched. There was a loud explosion, and Carissa did her best to maintain her balance and not hit anything. She would be no good unconscious. She raced to the cockpit and jumped into her chair, continuing to try to keep her balance. She jerked the ship out of autopilot and into manual gear.

Carissa could feel the small ship lurch and jerk as the laser-cannon fire connected with the hull. She looked up and saw the familiar sleek gold color on the slim ship zoom by overhead. It was a Naboo Starfighter. That told Carissa approximately where she was. She took control of the ship and took evasive maneuvers. Not only was Carissa outgunned, her ship was also larger than the Naboo Starfighter. Her only chance of survival was to outrun _and_ outmaneuver the Starfighter behind her.

Carissa gritted her teeth as she continued to narrowly escape the laser-cannon fire that was blasted all around her. Suddenly, a voice came over the intercom. "Give up. Resistance is futile and will only serve to hurt you and your ship more. Prepare for boarding."

"Never," Carissa whispered. Suddenly, she jumped into hyperspace, quickly leaving the Naboo Starfighter behind. She at least had to get to the other side of the planet. Once she did that, she would be able to put the ship back on autopilot.

The ship quickly arrived at the other side of the planet, and Carissa immediately put it back on autopilot. The ship continued on course and finally arrived at Coruscant. Carissa had no idea where she would land that would keep her profile low, but she knew that her lord had taken care of it.

The ship dove through the atmosphere of the planet, and Carissa soon found herself in a surprisingly remote area. There, the ship landed. Carissa grabbed the things that Sidious had given her and jumped out cautiously. She found that there were no signs of living presences anywhere. Carissa grabbed her com, set it on the ground, turned it on, and knelt. "Rise, my servant," a voice came over the com. "You have arrived at Coruscant, I presume?"

"Yes, my lord," Carissa replied.

"Very good," Sidious said with a sinister smile under his cowl. "I also presume that you have found your goods?"

"Yes, my lord," Carissa replied once again.

"Good," Sidious stated. "The Jedi you are to find is one Anakin Skywalker by name. You are to find him and observe him. You are not to let him or his Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, know that you are there. After a week, you are to report back to me; and I will give you further instructions. Is that understood?"

"Yes, my lord," Carissa replied yet again. This time she bowed.

"Very good," Sidious said. "I expect that everything will go according to plan. Do not fail me."

"I won't, Master," Carissa said. She bowed once again, and Sidious disappeared. _Well_, Carissa thought. _Time to find this Anakin Skywalker. I hope that he will be easy to find._ At that moment, Carissa felt a surge in the Living Force, and she knew that she had found her way of finding the young Jedi. She smiled. "Well Jedi," she said, "it's time to meet your match." With that, she set off to find Anakin Skywalker, masking her Force signature to keep a low profile and to keep her identity and presence a secret. She wouldn't fail.

Carissa walked on for about a half an hour, using the Force signature from Anakin Skywalker to find him. She stayed in the crowds, making herself less conspicuous. Finally, she arrived at a large building. _Ah_, Carissa thought. _The Jedi Temple. Wait a second. How am I supposed to get in there and stay hidden?_ The answer came quickly as a Master-Padawan team walked out of the building. Carissa got caught up in the crowds again, keeping a close eye on the two men. _That was easy._

She followed the two men. She knew that the younger one was the one that she wanted, because she felt the Force signature. "Anakin," she heard the older man say, "The Council requests your presence once we return."

"Master," the younger man, obviously Anakin Skywalker, replied, "I already know what you and they wish. You wish me to stay away from the Chancellor. Master, you don't _know_ him like I do. He is not a bad man. He just needs a little help, and nobody but me will give it to him."

"Anakin," the older man said, "we will discuss _that_ matter later. That is not why the Council wishes you, although that will be discussed in the near future. Anakin, it is time that we end our role as Master and student and become brothers in the Force."

Anakin raised a curious eyebrow. "Master?"

"Never mind," the older man replied. "We must focus on the task at hand right now." The two men walked on for about another fifteen minutes, Carissa following quietly and secretly.

Finally, they stopped at what looked like a bar. Carissa raised a curious eyebrow. Almost as if the older man knew she was there, he said, "We have reason to believe that Jenna Zan Arbor is here."

Anakin shuddered. He knew that name. She had once been able to keep him in a place called the Zone of Self-Containment. She had thought that he was Force-sensitive, but he had been able to keep her from knowing that. That was a good thing, probably. From what Anakin had heard about Qui-Gon Jinn's experience with her, he had rather wanted to avoid a confrontation. She had been able to get away before Anakin and his Master were able to capture her, and now they believed they had found her again.

The Master and Padawan walked into the bar casually, unknowingly trailing a spy for Darth Sidious. The two walked over to a table and sat down. They appeared to be talking casually, but between words, they would speak in hushed tones. "She is over there," the older man said, glancing at a table across from them. Anakin threw a casual glance over his shoulder and saw a fair-skinned, blond-haired woman sitting at a table nearby.

"How are we going to get her?" Anakin asked.

"She knows both of us, but if we both use the Force to scramble her mind, she shouldn't remember us," the older man replied.

The two of them got up and walked over to Zan Arbor's table and sat down. "Hello," the older man greeted the woman.

"What do you want?" the woman asked. Suddenly, something flickered across her face; but it was gone so fast that nobody knew what it was. She gave a quick, casual glance to Anakin and then the older man before looking back to her drink.

The older man seemed to see what lay behind the eyes in the glances that she gave to the Master and Padawan. He looked at Anakin, his eyes telling the boy that they needed to leave quickly. "We must be going," he said to Zan Arbor. As they got up to leave, it didn't seem like the woman was going to do anything. But as soon s they turned their backs, Zan Arbor jumped up and pulled out a laser whip. "Anakin!" the older man yelled as he saw Zan Arbor flick her wrist. It was too late. The whip wrapped around Anakin's shoulders and chest. He cried out in pain and fell to his knees. Zan Arbor took the moment of distraction and grabbed the boy. He bit down on his lip very hard to keep from crying out again as Zan Arbor deliberately and viciously sunk her sharp nails into the newly inflicted wounds. He couldn't, however, keep a slight moan from escaping.

Zan Arbor saw Anakin's Master running toward her and held up her whip again. She snapped it so that it snapped right at Anakin's neck but did not touch it. Anakin tried not to show the woman how very afraid he was. He didn't know what it was, but this woman was about the only person who scared him so much. Granta Omega, who had hurt him so many times, didn't scare him. Count Dooku, who had shot bolts of electricity through his body, didn't scare him. Yet this woman, this so-called scientist, scared the living daylights out of him and was easily able to contain him without his real knowledge.

Carissa watched all of this, interested in Anakin's reactions and this woman who had so easily captured him. Suddenly, she turned her head as Anakin's Master spoke again. "Let him go, Zan Arbor."

"Never," the woman replied. "You, Obi-Wan Kenobi, seem to like giving over those whom you love the most. First, you let your Master get captured by me. Now, you are letting your Padawan fall into my hands. You are certainly not a very good guardian, are you?"

Obi-Wan saw the fear in his Padawan's eyes, and his heart burned. He had seen the same look on Qui-Gon Jinn's face when he had found him. Obi-Wan had never thought that anything could intimidate his Master. He was beginning to think the same about Anakin. However, it was this one woman who seemed to intimidate them both. Nothing and no one else but Zan Arbor could. He gulped and closed his eyes. Then he took a deep breath and opened his eyes before saying, "Let him go." He emphasized each word.

"All I really want to do is study the Force," Zan Arbor replied innocently. "Is that really so much to ask? If the people I study would cooperate, there would really be no reason for me to be so rash. But they won't, and that is why I need more. Actually, your Master nearly broke on more than one occasion. You should be proud to have had such a strong Master. He certainly died a noble death to go along with his personality. Perhaps I may get some cooperation from your Padawan."

"Don't bet on it," Anakin suddenly replied. He didn't know where he had gotten the courage, but it had just come. Zan Arbor seemed stunned for a minute, and Anakin used this opportunity. He tried to grab the whip and twist out of Zan Arbor's grip, but Zan Arbor was quicker. She tightened her grip on Anakin and used his trying to grab the whip as an opportunity to wrap it around his wrist. He cried out again and struggled to remove the whip. However, Zan Arbor had twisted Anakin's other arm behind his back. She pressed his body tightly against her own to keep his arm behind his back and backed off toward the door, intent on getting Anakin and herself back to her laboratory.

Tears threatened to overwhelm Anakin as he felt himself being led away by Zan Arbor. A sudden state of panic had overcome him, and the laser whip wrapped around his wrist wasn't helping. He hated this woman! He could feel himself being led away, and he wondered if he would ever see Obi-Wan or Tru or any of his other friends again. He would even be glad if he could just see Ferrus again.

Carissa couldn't sit around and do nothing. It was obvious that the man named Obi-Wan couldn't do anything without hurting Anakin, but Carissa could. She had said that she wouldn't fail her Master, and she intended to do everything in her power to do so. She knew that Sidious had not wanted Anakin hurt, so she intended on not letting him get hurt. She used the Force to unwrap the laser whip from Anakin's wrist and even risked using it to calm his nerves and take away his state of panic. Then she used the Force to push Zan Arbor away.

Obi-Wan didn't know what had happened, but he used it to his advantage. He ran over to his shaky Padawan and pushed the boy behind him, so Zan Arbor could not get him again. He ran after the woman, but she got away… again. Obi-Wan had to swallow back the pain. He didn't know what he would have done had she gotten away with Anakin. He walked back inside and quickly led his Padawan out of the bar. "That was some good work," he told Anakin once outside.

"It… wasn't me," Anakin replied, looking at Obi-Wan with confused eyes.

**Okay. This chapter was a little longer. I'll try to make the next one even longer, but I'm not sure if I will. Spring break is ending, so either my chapters can be updated fewer times or I can make shorter chapters and update quicker. It's your choice.**


	5. The Start of a Journey

** Hands of the Dark Side**

**All right. Let's just see where this takes us. I must warn you that I am starting to get a little writer's block on what will happen after the next few chapters. And, I was not very inspired when writing the very beginning of this chapter, but hopefully it is still pretty good. Well, enjoy!**

Chapter Five

The Start of a Journey

Carissa followed Anakin and Obi-Wan back to the Jedi Temple and once again ran into the same problem. How was she going to get in and stay hidden? She was very matured in her powers, but she was not cocky. She knew that she would not be able to keep her presence hidden from a temple full of Jedi for very long. Suddenly, an idea struck her; and she hurried off to carry it out.

Obi-Wan led his Padawan up to Anakin's quarters and helped him change and lay down on his sleep couch. "I don't understand Master," Anakin whispered finally. "Nobody is able to frighten me, especially to the point of panic and terror, except this Jenna Zan Arbor."

"I don't understand it either, Padawan," Obi-Wan replied soothingly. "I just know that she is able to. Do not feel bad. She was able to intimidate Qui-Gon as well."

"Qui-Gon Jinn was frightened of her?" Anakin asked, sitting up.

"For a short time," Obi-Wan replied. "He was able to hide his feelings well, just as you are. But also just like you, he was finally intimidated by Zan Arbor. I know he never would have wanted you to fall into her hands and suffer as he did."

"What did happen to Qui-Gon when she had him?" Anakin asked curiously and innocently.

"Zan Arbor captured him to study the Force," Obi-Wan replied. "She took blood samples and did everything she could think to do as a scientist to find out what made him Force-sensitive and how he controlled it. That is one of the reasons I am so glad that you did not let on that you were a Jedi. Had you fallen into her hands, I don't know what I would have done."

Anakin was not really satisfied with the answer, and he opened his mouth to speak. Before he could say anything, however, a young girl burst through the door. She was wearing a black cape and cowl and a black suit underneath. The only way that Anakin knew that she was a girl was her height and her figure. Her voice would soon also add to the fact that she was a girl. She was on the verge of hysteria when she cried, "Oh! Please, help me! My house has been attacked, and… and one of my friends suggested I come to you and…!"

"Calm down," Obi-Wan soothed, leading the girl over to a chair and helping her sit down. "Now, take a deep breath and tell us what happened."

"Well," the girl started again, "my village was attacked by a group of Tusken Raiders. I don't know how many other people survived, but I wouldn't hold my breath on very many. I was with one of my friends and her older sister. Her older sister told us to leave as soon as she saw the Tusken Raiders. Then she told us to find someone who would take us to Coruscant and to go to the Jedi Temple and look for a person by the name of Anakin Skywalker. She said she once knew him a while back when he was a slave, and then he became a Jedi. I got out, but I don't know what happened to my friend, Ti-Dorria. I hope she's all right."

"Okay, calm down," Obi-Wan told the girl soothingly once again, as he could see that she was once more nearing hysteria. "What is your name?"

The girl sniffled and said, "Carissa."

"Carissa," Obi-Wan repeated. "And how did you get in here?"

"I talked to some people at the gate and told them what happened and that I had to see Anakin Skywalker. Are you Anakin Skywalker?" Carissa replied.

"No," Obi-Wan said. He motioned to his Padawan, but Anakin replied before Obi-Wan could say another word.

"I am he," Anakin said, looking at Carissa. "If you don't mind, who is this woman who told you to look for me?"

"Gwen Andiada," Carissa replied. She continued to stare at him as if she was expecting him to suddenly change into a mutant. _What is she staring at?_ Anakin thought. As if she had read his mind, she said, "You are a lot younger than I thought. I expected a man somewhat older."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you," Anakin replied.

"Oh no," Carissa replied hastily. "You didn't disappoint me. Well, you didn't make me overjoyed either. It's kind of hard to explain."

"I understand," Anakin replied gently, walking over to her and putting a hand on her shoulder. "But… why would Gwen have suggested that you come to me?"

"You were the only person she could trust. She knew that you would be able to help, and I think she was a little eager to see you again," Carissa replied. "At any rate, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting to find her. I do hope that she's alive, but it's very doubtful. Tusken Raiders are not known to take prisoners, or if they do, they are not known to treat them very well."

"Yes, I know," Anakin said softly, his eyes clouding over. He was thinking about his mother's death at the hands of those animals.

"We will do everything in our power to help you," Obi-Wan said, startling Anakin out of his thoughts. "We must go meet with the Council on a matter right now, and then we will ask them permission to go to your village and see what we can do.

"Oh, thank you!" Carissa cried, throwing her arms around Anakin's neck; because he was the closest.

"Come, Anakin," Obi-Wan said. "The sooner we obtain permission from the Jedi Council, the sooner we can leave.

"You can stay here," Anakin told Carissa. "We will be back shortly."

Carissa stayed standing and watched them leave. Then, an evil grin was pasted to her face. Phase one was complete. How gullible they were! Now, it was time for her mission to continue. She looked at a clock. It was about eight 'o clock at night. How did it get that late? Carissa had a feeling that if time could pass that quickly, the week would be quicker than she had anticipated.

Carissa opened the door softly and slightly. There was no one in sight. Good. She opened the door all the way and walked out into the hallway. _They're probably all in their rooms meditating or doing whatever they do. They don't even know that I'm here! I've even succeeded in keeping them from knowing I'm Force-sensitive and knowing the real reason that I'm here._ Suddenly, she stopped thinking. Sidious had warned her not to be prideful. He said that it led to cockiness and clumsiness, and she would not be able to fulfill her mission efficiently if at all.

Carissa had promised her lord that she would not fail him. She followed Anakin's Force-signature, specifically tuning into his and no one else's. She followed it, and it got stronger every second. Finally, she turned a corner and immediately went back behind it. There was Anakin and Obi-Wan all right, but there were glass doors, and everybody could see her clearly if she walked around the corner. However, it was all right. From where she was, she could hear everything that was being said in the Council's chambers clearly. She heard lightsabers igniting and the shuffling of feet. It was only one pair, however; so she knew it was Anakin. Then, she heard the little green muppet Yoda start to speak in his backwards language. "Anakin Skywalker, by the power of the Force, I dub thee a Knight."

Carissa risked a glance around the corner just in time to see Yoda cut off Anakin's Padawan braid. She knew that her two "guardians" would soon be returning to Anakin's quarters, so she ran off through the corridors and back into Anakin's quarters. Not five minutes later, Anakin and Obi-Wan returned. "We have obtained permission from the Jedi Council to accompany you back to your village and see what we can do to remedy the situation," Obi-Wan told her.

"Thank you," she said enthusiastically.

"We leave at dawn, so I suggest we all sleep well tonight," Anakin said. He saw that Carissa's gaze had moved to him as he spoke, but he noticed it lingered more on his shoulder where his braid had been. "I have become a Jedi Knight," he told her.

"That's wonderful!" she cried. "I am so sorry to have bothered you at such an important time."

"It's no trouble. It certainly wouldn't interfere with my knighting," Anakin replied.

"But I've had to cut your time short on being able to reflect and tell your friends," Carissa returned.

"Maybe so, but it really wouldn't have mattered either way. True, reflecting is good; but it is better to be helping someone. Besides, this counts as my first mission as a Knight," Anakin replied with a twinkle in his eye.

Carissa smiled, and Obi-Wan said goodnight and left. Anakin handed Carissa and pulled out a sleeping mat. At first, he had insisted that he sleep on it and Carissa take his sleep couch. However, Carissa was very stubborn and would not have it. Finally, Anakin gave up the futile argument, saying that they needed to get some rest. He took his sleep couch, and Carissa took the sleep mat.

Carissa had already planned everything out. It was true that a village had been attacked by Tusken Raiders. It was true that Gwen Andiada was Anakin's friend and lived in that village. It was true that most had been killed. Everything was going as planned. It was likely that she and the two Jedi would stay and try to remedy the situation for a while. Then, she had arranged to have one of the survivors of the village claim to be Carissa's father. The two Jedi would leave her with good wishes and a person they thought was her father. Then, she would contact Sidious and a transport would be sent to pick her up and take her back to whatever planet she had been taken to so long ago. Everything was all planned out It would be easy to carry it out. However, the question still remained in Carissa's mind. Why had Sidious wanted her to keep an eye on a Jedi Padawan to begin with? It didn't make sense, but Carissa had a feeling that everything would fall into place soon.

**Well, what'd you think? Don't be afraid to tell me! I won't kill you. Besides, I need to know if I'm going to continue with this story. Like I said before, chapters will either be staying long and you'll get updates less frequently or shorter and you'll get updates frequently. It's still your choice, and I need to know! See you next chapter!**


	6. Revelations

** Hands of the Dark Side**

**All right. Thanks for all the good reviews! I take it some of you have read A Moment of Truth? I like it. It's a pretty good book. If you haven't, I recommend you do. You don't need to in order to understand this story, but like I said, it's pretty good; and it would tell you what happened the first time Anakin encountered Jenna Zan Arbor. All right. Enough with my pointless chatting! I'll let you read the chapter now. Enjoy!**

Chapter Six

Revelations

The next day, everyone awoke early. Carissa was already in her clothes, and she jumped out of bed when Anakin walked into her room to wake her. He smiled, and she couldn't help but smile back. His smile was radiant and cheerful, even in the midst of what he thought was such a dire circumstance. "Good morning," he greeted.

"Morning," Carissa greeted back, still smiling.

"You ready to go?" Anakin asked.

"As soon as I brush my hair," Carissa said, already moving to the 'fresher. She grabbed a brush that one of the Jedi had lent her for her stay. Then she brushed through her silky smooth hair and bounced back out. "I'm ready," she said even as she fell in step next to Anakin. Even though he was a good seven or eight inches taller than her, he didn't seem very intimidating. This made Carissa wonder even more what had been going through her Master's mind when he had given her the current mission. Did he have something planned for the boy? That was going to have to wait, for at that moment, Carissa and Anakin arrived at the ship.

Obi-Wan was already waiting for them, and the sun was just peeking into the sky, giving the background behind the ship and orange tint through the darkness. "What took you so long?" Obi-Wan asked cheerfully.

"You know me," Anakin replied, helping Carissa onto the ship. "I like to take my time."

"That's an understatement," Obi-Wan said, ignoring the glare he received from Anakin. "We should arrive at Tatooine in about three hours."

Carissa looked down to the floor as if in a sad way. "I only wish I would have done more instead of run away like a coward," she said, growing angrier with every word. "I _should_ have been able to do more! I _could_ have been able to do more! Instead, I ran! I ran like a coward! I hate being a coward!"

Anakin walked over and placed his hand on the distraught girl's shoulder. "It's all right," he said soothingly. "You did the right thing. If you had tried to do anything else, you probably would have gotten killed as well. Then who would have come and gotten me or any of the other Jedi? It's all right. You weren't a coward. You are helping more than you can ever imagine." He offered a smile as he looked down at Carissa.

Carissa once again couldn't help but smile back. She put her forearms on her knees as she sat back down and closed her eyes and sighed. Then she looked back up at Anakin, who had sat back down opposite her, and then Obi-Wan. "Thank you," she said. "You don't know how much this means."

"We're glad to help," Obi-Wan replied. "And Tatooine just happens to be one of the planets we are most familiar with." He glanced over at Anakin.

Anakin winced at the last sentence Obi-Wan said. All the memories assailed him, good and bad. Memories of being a slave, memories of his mother and her sweet face, of Padme, of his search for his mother, of her death, and of the Lars. The Lars. They had let her die. They had not been there to help her! They should have been! _He_ should have been! Tears threatened to overwhelm Anakin once again, but he swallowed them back. He knew he should have been there, but he wasn't. He was off with the Jedi, far away from her. He had been having dreams. Why hadn't he listened to them? Why hadn't he gone to help her? He could have saved her! But he had avenged her, and that was all that mattered. He had killed the ones who had killed her.

Carissa could see the emotional turmoil and battle through Anakin's eyes. She didn't know exactly what had happened, but she knew that it had been a very important thing that had impacted Anakin's life largely. She decided not to ask what had happened as Anakin's eyes cleared, leaving them a cloudy but beautiful blue once again.

Anakin immediately stopped his thoughts. He didn't like where they were going, and he wouldn't have it. He was going to keep control of himself. He looked at Carissa, who was staring at him curiously, but not saying a word. He concluded that she had decided to keep silent and let him tell her everything on his own accord. This was just another reason that Anakin liked Carissa so much.

Anakin sighed and decided to tell her. As he started talking, he was aware of the surprised look on Obi-Wan's face when the man glanced over at him. "Tatooine is the planet I grew up on," he started, immediately getting Carissa's attention. She listened intently as he continued. "I was a slave there for the first nine years of my life. Then, two Jedi by the names of Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi found me. They soon realized that I was Force-sensitive. Qui-Gon was going to train me when Obi-Wan finished the trials, but he died at the hands of a Sith lord by the name of Darth Maul. His dying request was for Obi-Wan to train me. So he did. At the time that the Jedi came, the queen of Naboo also came. Her name was Amidala Padme. Several years later, Padme and I met up again. It was to be Obi-Wan and my job to protect her.

"I was having nightmares at that time. They were of my mother, whom I had left back on Tatooine as a slave. Padme and I finally decided to go look for her. The nightmares were getting stronger. When we went to Tatooine, we found that my former Master had sold her. But he told us that she had been freed and married, and he told us where we could find her. The Lars. When we went to the Lars' homestead, we found out that my mother had been kidnapped by Tusken Raiders. I resolved to find her, and I told Padme to stay with the Lars. I finally found her at a Tusken Raider camp. She died in my lap."

"Oh," Carissa said, and she wasn't pretending. "I'm sorry."

Anakin nodded and glanced over at Obi-Wan, who was looking at him. Anakin had left out part of the story on purpose, the part where he killed the entire camp of Tusken Raiders and their pets. He didn't think it needed to be said. Carissa did not need to know it.

The rest of the ride was done in silence for the most part. Carissa got up to explore the ship about half an hour after the story of Anakin's life and didn't return until they were ready to land. Anakin, Obi-Wan, and she strapped themselves in for the landing.

Suddenly, laser-cannon fire erupted out of nowhere. All three passengers immediately jerked their heads upward out of instinct, even though they wouldn't see anything because of the fact that there were no windows. The pilot also looked around, trying to place where the laser-cannon fire was coming from so that he could avoid it until they landed.

Anakin and Carissa quickly unfastened themselves and jumped out of their seats, but Obi-Wan stayed where he was. He knew he would do no good, because he really didn't know a whole lot about ships or technology.

Carissa and Anakin raced to the cockpit, where they told the pilot that they would take over. He immediately ran back and fastened himself in. Anakin jumped into the pilot's seat, and Carissa slid gracefully into the co-pilot's seat. "Do you know anything about ships?" Anakin asked, risking a glance over at Carissa.

"Let's just say that I've dealt with them before," Carissa replied, already pressing buttons and turning knobs. Sudden laser-cannon fire connected with the hull of the ship, and it lurched forward. Anakin suddenly went into a dive with the nose nearly straight down. "What in the world?" Carissa cried, letting go of whatever she was doing to grab onto her seat. "What are you doing?"

"I thought you said you'd dealt with ships before," Anakin replied. "I need to outrun him and get down to that planet or we're toast."

"I _have_ dealt with ships before!" Carissa replied angrily. "I just haven't dealt with suicidal drivers!"

"I'm not suicidal!" Anakin replied. More laser-cannon fire connected with the ship's hull, and Anakin did a somersault and different maneuvers while Carissa worked to finish what she was doing without getting killed. "Look," Anakin said, pulling the ship back into a straight course for the planet below, "this is silly."

"You _just_ figured that out," Carissa said.

Anakin ignored her and continued. "If we're going to get through this alive, we're going to have to cooperate. I need to know what you're doing, and you need to know what I'm doing."

"How?" Carissa replied, ignoring all the smart remarks that came into her head. "I barely know you. How am I supposed to know what you'll do besides show off with all your fancy maneuvers?"

"That's what we're going to need to figure out," Anakin replied, barely missing more laser-cannon fire. "We're just going to have to trust each other. Agreed?"

Carissa was a little hesitant at first, but she was starting to like Anakin. Besides, her life depended on their cooperation. "All right," she said, strapping herself in. She prepared herself for every move Anakin could possibly make as he started into evasive maneuvering again. She closed her eyes and breathed out slowly. Then she quickly began her work again. More than once she had to stop what she was working on at the moment and grab the gun because their attacker came into view.

Obi-Wan and the pilot sat fastened up. "Do you think those two kids know what they're doing?" the pilot asked nervously.

"Sir," Obi-Wan replied. "Anakin is one of the best pilots I know."

"Yeah," the pilot replied. "He is doing some pretty good maneuvering. What about the girl?"

Obi-Wan sighed as he looked to the cockpit. "I hope so," he said under his breath.

Anakin and Carissa were still in the cockpit and still trying to get down to the planet below. "If we keep trying to outmaneuver him, we're never going to get down," Carissa said.

"Yeah," Anakin replied. "You're right. But how are we going to get down without him killing us. Our shields are down already.

"Leave that to me," Carissa replied, getting up from her seat.

"Okay," Anakin replied. "Be careful!"

Carissa didn't respond. Instead, she ran from the cockpit, trying to keep her balance as the blast's rocked the ship back and forth and ignoring the puzzled glance's she received from Obi-Wan and the pilot as she passed them. She finally reached the back gun and got down into it, where she put a communications headset on. "Anakin?" she asked.

"I'm here," came the voice from the other side.

"All right," Carissa replied. "Make a break for it. I'll hold him off with the gun."

Anakin didn't need to be told twice. He put the ship on full speed and dove toward the planet below. He didn't feel the ship lurch any, and he heard gunfire on Carissa's side. "What's going on?" he asked.

"I'm holding him off," came the terse reply. Anakin heard some fire connect with a ship, and his own ship didn't rock, so he assumed that it was the other ship that had been hit. "How long until we get to Tatooine?" he heard Carissa ask. He could almost see her clenched teeth and determined face.

"We're entering the atmosphere right now," Anakin replied, turning his attention back to his controls to make the necessary adjustments.

"Good," Carissa said. "I don't know how much longer I could have held our assailant off."

As they got out of reach of the other ship's laser-cannon fire, Carissa took her communications headset and walked back to the cockpit, once again ignoring Obi-Wan and the pilot. When she reached the cockpit, she jumped into the co-pilot's seat once again. "That was fun," she said.

"You're telling me," Anakin replied, smiling. He looked over and saw that Carissa was smiling as well. "I only have a few more adjustments to make…" Anakin said, his voice trailing off as he messed with some of the controls. "There," he said. "We should be down to the ground in about a minute. Then I have to find a good spot to land."

Carissa just shrugged and nodded. Sure enough, they were down to the ground in about a minute; and both started to look for a good place to land. "There," Carissa said, pointing to an area next to a Krayt Dragon skeleton. "It's relatively close to my village, and we want to take them by surprise if there are any remaining Tusken Raiders. It's highly doubtful but still possible."

The whole area was desolate and just a big patch of desert as most of Tatooine was, but Anakin could make out the ruins of a village in the distance. He slowly and gracefully brought the ship down and activated the landing ramp.

Within minutes, the three passengers were outside on Tatooine's sandy ground. Obi-Wan told the pilot that he would contact him if the need arose, and they departed. Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Carissa watched the ship take off and exit the atmosphere and then turned their attention to the walk ahead of them.

It wasn't a very long walk, and they arrived at the village in a timely manner. Obi-Wan and Anakin looked around in disgust, once again wondering why such animals as the savage Tusken Raiders did any of this anyway. It was rare that they attacked, but when they did, it was almost always very powerful. There were rarely any survivors, and most of them were carried away to become slaves to the Tusken Raiders. Carissa just looked around with glossy eyes.

"There's my hut!" Carissa suddenly cried out of the blue. She ran over to a collapsed hut that looked like it had been stomped by an Imperial AT-ST. Carissa pulled away some rock and dropped down into the hut through a window, hardly stopped by Anakin and Obi-Wan.

Anakin and Obi-Wan really didn't have a choice. They didn't have time to stop Carissa, so they both dropped down behind her. She just stood there. If they had been in front of her, they would have seen the tears forming in her glossy eyes as her hair was whipped about by the sudden breeze that had arisen. "Carissa?" Anakin asked, placing a hesitant hand on her shoulder. She still didn't move, so he gently shook her. She looked at him, and he saw the little drops of water running down her smooth face and leaving a clear trail behind them.

"I… can't believe they're… gone," Carissa said quietly. Anakin looked about and saw the broken glass and wood all over the place. He saw that they had dropped into a bedroom. The sleep couch was strewn about the room, only known by its red covering. "This was Benia's room," Carissa said, her voice still very quiet. Anakin also saw toys strewn about the floor, small toys that meant nothing to more mature people but meant everything to children. When he had been a boy, he treasured every toy he owned and took care of it like it was a million credits. Being a slave made it hard for him to get those things. He slowly walked over to a stuffed animal, crouched down, picked it up, and examined it in his hands.

It was a small Ewok, probably a very fun animal for a small child. It had been one of his favorite animals as a child. The Ewok's fur was a light tan, and it was holding one of their handmade axes. It had a bright smile on its face, even though it was all scratched up on top of being worn by years of use and handling. The cotton stuck out in many different places, but Anakin had no doubt that it would mean the world to its owner if they were ever to get it back.

Anakin put the animal back on the floor and stood up. He noticed that Carissa and Obi-Wan had moved on to the kitchen. The stove was just a pile of twisted metal that the Tusken Raiders had deemed useless. The table and furniture were torn up, and the plates and glasses and breakable things were lying strewn about on the floor in pieces.

They moved to the living room, where they found the furniture torn up once again. Carissa gasped and started sobbing quietly. Anakin looked over and saw that she was looking at a female human. Carissa walked over and closed the woman's eyes, and Anakin could see her shoulders heaving up and down softly with her sobs. "Rest in peace, Mom," he heard her say. She stood up, and they moved on.

"This was Naron and Torontio's room," Carissa said, still quietly. "They were my twin brothers." She gasped once again in horror. This one was stronger than the last. She ran over to something and fell down to the floor, finally letting her tears go and sobbing uncontrollably. "Benia! Naron! Torontio!" she cried. Upon closer inspection, Anakin found that she had closed the eyes of the three young children. Naron and Torontio, the twin boys, couldn't have been much older than ten. Benia couldn't have been older than three. Anakin had to turn away, as the sight tore a hole in his heart. It was too much to bear. It was bad enough that those monsters had destroyed his mother and other adults, but to kill little kids. It just served to fuel his fury against them.

Anakin looked around the room. It was about the same as the other room they had been in. The sleep couches were torn up and lay across the floor. Toys lay scattered across the floor, and the small room was destroyed along with the small lives inside it. It looked as though the siblings had been playing together during their last minutes.

Suddenly, Anakin noticed that something wasn't right. The hut had been smashed. That wasn't like Tusken Raiders. Some of the huts had been blown up. Of that, Anakin was sure. It had to be more than just Tusken Raiders.

A speeder interrupted his thoughts. He looked over at Carissa, who was hunched over the small bodies putting a blanket that she had salvaged over them. Her sobs had subsided, but they were still there. She had obviously heard the speeder, too; because she looked up from her task and looked around. "Stay here," Anakin said, as he and Obi-Wan left the room and climbed back out the window they had come in. They saw a man getting out of a speeder. He was a handsome man of about a six-foot stature. His clothes said that he was somewhat wealthy. "Excuse me," Anakin said, sensing no danger or darkness about the man. "May I ask who you are and what you are doing here?"

A sudden cry from behind Anakin and Obi-Wan startled them both, and they turned around to see Carissa running toward them. "Father!" she cried, running past the two Jedi and into the already outstretched arms of the man before them.

"Carissa, my dear!" he cried, kissing the top of her head. "You escaped! It makes my heart leap for joy seeing you alive." Tears were forming in his eyes.

"Thank you, Father," Carissa replied. "Oh! These are two Jedi whom I was asked to call upon for help. Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi, meet my father Talyn Andra. Father is an important business man, and he was away when the attack took place."

"Yes," the man said, his eyes clouding over. "I should have been here. I promise that it will never happen again. I will _always_ be here to take care of you, Carissa, my angel."

The two hugged again, and then arrangements were made for Carissa to go back to Mos Eisley with her father and catch a transport to one of Talyn's other residences. Obi-Wan and Anakin said that they would accompany the two and see them off.

All the arrangements were made, and goodbyes were said. All in all, it was about four days before Carissa finally left Tatooine, making it the end of her week. She contacted Sidious once on the plane and told him she was returning with a full report.

Meanwhile, Anakin and Obi-Wan were uneasy even as they waved goodbye. As they walked off, Anakin said, "Did you see the huts?"

"Yes, Anakin," Obi-Wan replied. "Something was not right here. I think we're going to get a little more than we bargained for. And I have a feeling that we haven't see the last of Carissa. She'll be back."

"Do you think she's bad?" Anakin asked.

"I don't know, Anakin," Obi-Wan replied. "I hope not, but I think it's a high possibility. I also think it's a high possibility that she is in a lot of danger."

**Ooh! Evil cliffie! I hope you've liked it so far. This chapter was a little shorter than my other ones, but I hope you still liked it. Anyway, tell me what you think; and I'll try to get the next chapter up quickly. I thought this chapter was a little choppy, but I'll try to make future ones smoother. Anyway, review please!**


	7. Confrontations

** Hands of the Dark Side**

**Sorry it took so long for me to get the next chapter up. I was grounded from the computer for a while. Anyway, why don't you just read this next chapter and tell me what you think?**

Chapter Seven

Confrontations

Carissa rose from her bow at the bidding of her Master. She had taken a few minutes to clean up and make herself presentable for Sidious after her return, but she wore her black stealth suit. Her silky black hair flowed down her back, and she began to speak. "Anakin Skywalker has been Knighted," she began. "Before the Knighting, however, he ran into some trouble in the form of a scientist by the name of Jenna Zan Arbor. She seemed to terrify him. She got a hold of him, but I used the Force to push her away. She got away, so Skywalker's former Master Obi-Wan Kenobi ran over, and he and Skywalker went back to the Temple. That is when I ran into the Temple, pretending to be the sole survivor of a disastrous attack on a village in Tatooine. I pretended to have been sent by one of Skywalker's former friends. Skywalker and Kenobi promised to help me and left for a few minutes. That is when the boy was Knighted.

"We left for Tatooine at dawn the next day. On the way, Skywalker told me of when his mother died there at the hands of Tusken Raiders. And for his part, he seemed genuinely sincere the entire time. Kenobi tried to keep his expressions and emotions masked.

"We landed shortly after. I had made arrangements for a man to come and pretend to be my father. The two Jedi, my fake father and I stayed on Tatooine a few more days. My fake father pretended he had been away on business in the other side of the galaxy but came as soon as he had gotten word. I then contacted you on the last day we were to be on Tatooine and asked for a pilot of yours and a transport to be given, and you gave it to me. We left the man and the two Jedi on Tatooine, and then I came back."

Sidious seemed to be thinking. "This is most interesting," he finally said. "Now I have another mission for you. But first, did you wear that suit around the Jedi?"

Carissa was excited, but she kept her cool. She couldn't believe that she was getting another mission so soon! "No," she replied calmly. "I wore a white gown."

"Good," Sidious said with an evil sneer. "I want Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker. You'll have to keep your hair out of sight and keep that suit on, so that they don't know it's you. Now go and prepare yourself. You leave as soon as you're ready."

Carissa bowed and started her walk to her chambers. She couldn't help but smile. This was more like it. She wasn't a reconnaissance person. She did things with force. She was an active person and good fighter. Even as she was getting ready for the mission, a malicious grin crept across her face. She knew she was going to like this.

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Anakin walked into his quarters slowly. He and his Master had just returned from escorting Carissa off of Tatooine. Carissa's father had decided to stay on Tatooine for a few more days on business and catch up with his daughter. Carissa was to go to one of her father's many homes. This one happened to be on Naboo.

Anakin plopped down on his sleep couch. He was exhausted. It was late at night, and everything they had been doing the past few days had gotten to him. His tunic and hair were both tousled, and he threw his boots and shirt off. He ran a hand over his face and through his hair as he recalled one of the first events after meeting Carissa. Their ship had been attacked, and he and Carissa had jumped into the pilot and co-pilot seats. How had she known so much about ships and handling them, especially in a situation such as that? It had to be a special person to know that much. Anakin had to admit that she was very helpful and almost as good a pilot as himself. How?

Anakin was too tired to dwell on that thought much. He tried to keep his eyes open, but his eyelids were so heavy. The past days' events finally took their toll, and he fell into a deep sleep, still in the same disheveled state.

The door slowly opened, and Obi-Wan walked in. Obi-Wan had expected Anakin to fall asleep, but the sight that greeted him was rather comical, and it took all of Obi-Wan's strength not to burst out laughing. Anakin was flung across the sleep couch, his tunic wrinkled and his shirt and boots thrown carelessly on the floor. One of his arms was off of the couch, and the other one was draped across his stomach. His hair looked like someone had just spent hours running their hands through it. His mouth partially hung open, and the rhythmic up and down movement of his chest made him look so peaceful. His face was lined with exhaustion but still somehow peaceful.

Obi-Wan picked up Anakin's boots and shirt. He put the boots next to a chair in the room, and he draped the shirt over the same chair. He took the arm that hung off the end of the sleep couch and placed it next on the sleep couch. Anakin stirred slightly at this but did not wake. Obi-Wan gave a silent sigh of relief at this.

Obi-Wan slowly and quietly walked out of Anakin's chambers, closing the door quietly behind him. He would wake Anakin later. Hopefully, Anakin would be able to sleep until then. The nightmares of his mother in distress had passed, but new nightmares of his mother when he had found her and everything that he had done had appeared. That was one of the reasons Anakin was so tired. He hadn't been getting a lot of sleep lately.

Another reason was that Anakin had been the one doing most of the work. Because Obi-Wan didn't know Tatooine too well and Anakin did, Anakin had been the one to do a lot of negotiations. More than once, it had come to physical ways; and Anakin had had to figure a quick way out of it. But every time, he had. That was one thing that Obi-Wan admired about Anakin, his quick mind.

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A few hours later, both Anakin and Obi-Wan were wide-awake and fully prepared for anything; or so they thought. They walked through the corridors of the Temple. Obi-Wan seemed uneasy. Anakin finally couldn't take it anymore. "What is wrong?" he asked, stopping.

Obi-Wan also stopped and turned to look at him with a confused expression. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"You've been uneasy about something ever since you woke me," Anakin replied. "Now what is it?"

Obi-Wan sighed. There was no fooling Anakin. "All right," he said. "We received a threat from Jenna Zan Arbor."

Anakin stumbled a little bit. Zan Arbor? He thought she was gone. "Wh… what… did she say?" he finally managed.

"She's back in business," Obi-Wan replied. He watched as Anakin tried to cover his fear. Obi-Wan was also scared, but he was able to mask it a little better than Anakin. The memories of what Qui-Gon had endured in the hands of that psychotic woman were still freshly burned into Obi-Wan's mind, and he gulped. He definitely did not want the same thing to happen to Anakin. He couldn't bear it. He couldn't and wouldn't be too weak to save them both.

Anakin was actually very terrified. It seemed that this woman would not or maybe _could_ not quit or be caught. She refused. And now she was after Anakin. "Do we have any idea where she is?" he asked, trying to remain calm and keep his cool.

Obi-Wan shook his head. "No we don't," he replied sadly. "Don't worry. We'll find her."

Anakin smiled a little bit. The sunshine and breeze assailing him coupled with Obi-Wan's words made him fell better. He and Obi-Wan had just walked out of the Temple to take a short walk out on the streets of Coruscant. Jedi always encouraged other Jedi to occasionally get out and check out their surroundings just to keep up to date or to make them feel better, and it usually worked.

Obi-Wan suddenly began to feel uneasy, and he stopped. "Master?" Anakin asked curiously. Even though Anakin was a Jedi, he didn't need to stop himself from calling Obi-Wan Master.

"We're being followed," Obi-Wan said quietly through clenched teeth. Anakin glanced behind them and tuned into the Force. Sure enough, he could feel another presence about forty feet behind them. "Let's go as we were," Obi-Wan said. "We'll try to trap them in the alley."

Anakin followed Obi-Wan through the winding streets of Coruscant to a less popular area of the city. There was nobody around, and the two Jedi walked into the alley. They knew that the person was still following them. They had felt them all the way.

The two Jedi hid and waited. They waited and waited and waited. Did the person know that the two Jedi had caught on to the fact that they were being followed? Had they given up? Is that why they weren't appearing?

Suddenly, something dropped down from above. It landed right next to Anakin. Anakin quickly figured out that it was a person as he was shoved up against a wall, an arm covering his chest and holding him against the wall. The figure grabbed Anakin's lightsaber and clipped it onto their own belt.

Obi-Wan ignited his lightsaber, ready to fight whoever held Anakin. He prepared for the figure to come to him, but it stayed with Anakin. Obi-Wan slowly moved forward. He could see that the figure's eyes were trained on him. This might give Anakin a chance to break away. He could also see that the figure was wearing all black. There was even a black mask that covered their hair. But he could see that it was a lithe body. He couldn't really tell whether it belonged to a man or woman. It was too dark. But he did think that it was a woman. It couldn't be...

Anakin could see that Obi-Wan was walking toward them. He could also see that the figure was looking at Obi-Wan. He thought about escaping, but the arm holding him against the wall was too strong. Suddenly, the figure did something very surprising.

Obi-Wan had continued walking toward the figure and Anakin until he was only a few feet away. Suddenly, the figure's right arm grabbed the right side of their mask. The figure slowly pulled the mask off, revealing the face of…

**Sorry it was so short of a chapter. The next chapter is going to be longer. I promise! But I thought it was best to leave you with a HUGE cliffhanger. (Don't ask me why.) Maybe I'll get more reviews. I want at least sixteen reviews total to post the next chapter. See you next chapter! (By the way, I would much appreciate it if somebody would answer this question. Has my story been without anything separating the different periods of time and places the entire time? If so, I'm SO sorry for the confusion! I don't know why it doesn't show up when I upload the document. I only just caught two in this chapter. Again, I'm SO SORRY if it has been like this for the entire story! I'll do better with that from now on!)  
**


	8. Carissa Hando

** Hands of the Dark Side**

**Wow! Huge cliffhanger last chapter! I hope you enjoyed waiting in suspense for this chapter smiles maliciously. Anyway, let's just get on with this chapter, shall we? (Warning: It may be a little choppy.)**

**Jedi Keliam Kenobi: I hope you didn't get any brain damage while smacking your head against the wall. :)**

**Dark Lord Daishi: Jedi mind tricks only work on the weak-minded. ;)**

**john odonnell: Thank you for the review and compliment. I have read nearly all the Star Wars books and seen all the movies tons of times among other things. That would be how I know so much. **

**Thank you to all reviewers of my story, even if I didn't reply. You're reviews mean a lot! Oh, and a BIG "Happy Birthday" to Hayden Christensen, who is turning twenty-four today:) :)  
**

Chapter Eight

Carissa Hando

… Carissa! She had a smile on her face. Obi-Wan and Anakin reeled back in surprise. Carissa used this opportunity and Force-pushed Obi-Wan into the wall of a nearby building. His head smacked loudly off of it, and he fell to the ground, unconscious.

Carissa whirled as Anakin tried to escape and grab his lightsaber. Carissa grabbed the lightsaber and ignited it. She put it against his neck. "Stay in front of me," she said. "Do exactly as I say. Leave Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Anakin didn't have a choice. He had to obey her. It lit up a spark of hope in his heart, anyway. If Obi-Wan were left behind, he would surely go and get help. These hopes, however, were dashed when he glanced behind and saw Carissa throwing Obi-Wan over her shoulder.

Carissa and Anakin walked for about another five minutes before they finally reached a transport. Anakin found it odd that Carissa had been able to keep them in the small area of deserted city during that entire time. Then he realized that she had led him in circles to confuse him.

Anakin and Carissa, holding Obi-Wan, walked onto the transport. "Sit," Carissa ordered. Anakin didn't like being able to be controlled, especially not by a girl. His experience as a slave had definitely given him a sour attitude to anybody controlling him. Reluctantly, he sat down and strapped himself in. He wasn't willing to risk Obi-Wan's life.

Carissa also sat down, but she didn't strap herself in. Obi-Wan was just beginning to regain consciousness, and Carissa strapped him in before he could do anything. When she finished, she sat and surveyed her handiwork.

Obi-Wan finally fully regained consciousness. The first things he noticed was that he was in a moving transport and strapped in. Anakin and Carissa were also in the room with him. The past events assailed his mind, and he looked over at Carissa in surprise. He could see that Anakin was glaring at her, and he also felt the same way. She was a traitor. But he also remembered something that Anakin probably didn't. He had been thrown very high and very hard. He hadn't been close enough for Carissa to do it with her hands, and he hadn't seen her move. That meant only one thing. Carissa was Force-sensitive!

Carissa sensed that Obi-Wan had found out that she was Force-sensitive, and she turned to him. "Very good," she said. Her mental shields did not allow Obi-Wan or any other Jedi into her mind in the least bit, but her actions allowed people to know. "You're smarter than I thought, even with a head injury."

Obi-Wan glared icily at her. Usually, his face was unreadable; but this girl was getting on his nerves. He could see that Anakin looked confused. He obviously hadn't taken note of what had happened to Obi-Wan. Suddenly, a look of realization passed over his face; and he looked at Carissa with a surprised expression. "Who are you?" Obi-Wan asked.

"Don't you remember me?" Carissa asked innocently and sweetly. "Poor, unfortunate Carissa with no family or friends and sent to look for Anakin Skywalker by and old friend." Carissa had stood up dramatically, and while she said Anakin's name, she ran a hand down his cheek.

Anakin quickly reached up, grabbed Carissa's arm, and pulled her toward him. "Anakin!" he heard Obi-Wan call. He looked at Carissa. She had a smug smile on her face.

"Go ahead," Carissa taunted. "I didn't think you Jedi were afraid of anything." Anakin threw her to the ground, disgusted.

Carissa got up and brushed herself up. "I almost forgot!" she said. "I have a present for you both!" She used the Force to produce two Force-suppression collars.

Obi-Wan would have done what he was told, but a Force-suppression collar was too much. He had endured wearing one for just a little bit when he was a Padawan. He knew that Anakin would never be able to bear it. If he didn't give into the pain of not having the Force first, his anger would get the best of him. Once that collar went onto him, Obi-Wan had no doubt that he wouldn't be able to control himself.

Before either Jedi could do anything, the collars were on them. Obi-Wan immediately stiffened when he heard the collar click, but Anakin didn't know what was happening. When the collar clicked around his neck, he struggled to get it off; but he immediately felt the Force leave him. "What's going on?" he asked, a little frightened.

"What's the matter?" Carissa asked. "Don't you know what a Force-suppression collar is?"

Anakin's eyes immediately popped open. He didn't know how long he would last without the Force, but he knew that it wouldn't be very long. He struggled even harder to get it off. "Oh," Carissa said, faking sympathy. "Don't worry. You'll only have it on until you can learn to obey. Trust me. That won't be very long. And if you cooperate, we can make it even quicker and less painful. What do you say?"

"Never," Anakin spat.

Carissa's eyes grew cold again. "Fine," she replied. "Have it your way, _Jedi_. You're only causing yourself more pain. Oh, and don't even try to escape. Once you strapped yourselves in, you basically did my job for me. They're impossible to get out of. I'll come and get you when we reach our destination." Then she left, leaving the two Jedi to wonder what would happen and if they'd ever see any of their friends again. Anakin and Obi-Wan looked at each other. This was going to be a long and terrifying journey… for both of them.

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Anakin and Obi-Wan were asleep when they reached their destination. Apparently, the planet they were going to was nearer to the Outer Rim than the Core Worlds. It had already been quite late into the afternoon, and though Jedi could be without sleep and stay alert for days, Obi-Wan and Anakin decided that it would be best if they got some sleep. They were going to need it, and it would be easier for them than if they had decided not to sleep.

Carissa walked in and found the Jedi sleeping soundly. _Skywalker is kind of cute when he's asleep_, she thought. She shook her head ferociously. What was she doing thinking something like that? She frowned, even though it _was_ true.

Carissa walked over to the Jedi and started thinking about what to do. It would keep her mind occupied. She had no doubt that they weren't in a very deep sleep, and if she did anything to them, they'd wake up. She did, however, have to tie their hands behind their backs. It would be the only way to ensure a relatively safe departing from the ship.

Carissa finally decided on what she would do. She undid each of their straps, tied their hands behind their backs, and strapped them back in, all the while using Force-persuasion to keep them asleep. She knew what would happen as soon as she stepped away and let go of her Force-persuasion. Sure enough, she was right. The new position that the Jedi had been put into was enough to wake them up. Anakin was the first one to wake up. As soon as he figured out that his hands were tied behind his back, he struggled to free them. Obi-Wan woke up while Carissa spoke to Anakin. "Don't struggle, young Jedi," Carissa told Anakin. "You only serve to increase your discomfort."

"_That's_ an understatement," Anakin said, stopping his struggles. He knew that Carissa was right, even though he would never admit it. He saw Carissa smile. She couldn't help it.

Obi-Wan speaking startled Carissa. "You never told us who you are," Obi-Wan pointed out.

"Carissa Hando at your service," Carissa replied with a bow. She was still smiling, but this time, she meant it; and it wasn't smug. "I'd love to stay and chat," she said, "but I have to get going and pilot this ship to the docking bay." With that, she was gone.

Carissa walked into the cockpit and jumped into the pilot's seat gracefully. She piloted the ship down with ease. And as soon as they landed, she jumped up and went back to the room she had left Anakin and Obi-Wan in. They were both looking at her, obviously already expecting her entrance. "All right," she said. "Let's go. We don't want to keep our lord waiting, do we?"

She used the Force to undo both of the Jedi's straps. Then, she motioned for them to follow her.

As they walked to the ramp, Obi-Wan glanced over at Anakin. He was surprised. Anakin had more of a hold on his emotions that Obi-Wan would have thought. However, Anakin's coolness also alarmed Obi-Wan. It was possible that he might have actually _wanted_ to have such a thing happen, or maybe he had been expecting it. Either way spelled trouble.

Carissa, Obi-Wan, and Anakin walked down the ramp and were immediately met by three alien women who were obviously used for pleasure. "Back so soon?" one of them asked Carissa. Carissa did not reply. She just continued walking forward, and Obi-Wan and Anakin followed. She didn't even smile. Everything about her was cold and icy towards these women.

Suddenly, a Twi' lek spotted Anakin. "Ooh," she said, grabbing his arm. "You sure picked a looker this time, Carissa."

Anakin, being caught off guard, fell right into the woman's arms but quickly regained his balance, not wanting to have anything to do with these women.

Carissa immediately spun around and grabbed the women who had a hold of Anakin. She yanked her off of him and held her by her arm. "Yes, but you won't look anymore. If you so much as glance at him one more time, I will personally kill you." The darkness and fire in Carissa's eyes told the other woman not to mess with her. As soon as Carissa let her go, she and the other women scattered. "Come," Carissa said, addressing the Jedi once more. They continued walking.

Anakin observed that the planet he was on was very dark. He and Obi-Wan were led into a gloomy building with many long corridors. However, Anakin didn't feel afraid or cautious. He didn't feel anything for that matter. It was beginning to disturb him. He knew he should feel something. He knew Obi-Wan knew that he should be feeling something as well but wasn't. He felt a familiar presence, but he couldn't place it. It was odd.

Suddenly, he recalled his conversation with Chancellor Palpatine:

"_Actually," Anakin said hesitantly, "there are some things I want to talk to you about. Mainly, I want to know what this great power you talk about is; and I want a straight answer right now."_

_Palpatine smiled. "I guess I have been avoiding that subject quite a bit, haven't I? It's about time you know. Anakin, that power is the Dark Side."_

The realization hit Anakin like a brick. It was Palpatine's presence that he felt. But what was he doing here? Was he really a part of the Dark Side and had captured Anakin to let him feel it for himself? Or was Palpatine just an innocent victim of the rising Empire?

None of those questions were to be answered anytime soon, however. Carissa had stopped at a cell and opened the door. She gestured them inside, not even bothering to remove their bonds. The two Jedi stepped inside, and Carissa left.

She walked through long corridors until she reached the throne room. She knelt as soon as she stepped inside. "Rise, my servant," a dark voice said.

"It is done, Master," Carissa replied, standing up. "I have captured the Jedi, and they are in a holding cell right now."

"Good," Sidious replied with a malicious grin. He turned to the man standing beside him. "You are not to see them until _I_ say so. Is that understood, Chancellor?"

"Clearly," Palpatine replied with a smile and a bow.

Sidious turned back to Carissa. "There are only two other things I want you to do. Firstly, I want you to keep an eye on the two Jedi, sort of like a personal guard. Secondly, I want you to go tell our entertainment that they can entertain themselves on the boy Skywalker."

Carissa's eyes grew large, but she immediately regained herself. "With all due respect, my lord, is that wise? I don't believe…"

"That we should let that happen because it will poison Skywalker's mind toward us," Sidious finished. "But that's the plan. I will step in at the last minute and stop them if Skywalker agrees to join us. First, I want them to have a little fun. Who knows? Skywalker may even begin to like it. Either way is a win for us."

Carissa bowed and left. Her hand moved into fists, her nails biting into the flesh of her palms. She was not very wild about having to watch the things that she had no doubt that the women would be doing. She still did not know why Sidious was doing it, but she wasn't going to question him and end up dead. She was not, however, going to do nothing. Anger flared within her as she walked into the chambers of the women.

She was met with all smiles as she opened the door and the women turned and looked at her. "Oh," the Twi' lek sympathized sarcastically, seeing the anger evident on Carissa's face. "Carissa looks sad. Is something wrong?" The women laughed.

Carissa worked very hard to keep her anger in check. It would do no good to unleash herself on the women. "My lord has given you permission to… play with the boy," Carissa said quietly.

The women were ecstatic. They looked at each other, and their grins grew wider, if that was even possible. "But I will say this," Carissa continued. "If you do _anything_ like I've seen you do to others, I will kill you."

"But you don't have permission," the Twi' lek said sweetly.

"I don't have to," Carissa replied darkly. The fire shone in her eyes, and the women decided not to provoke her any further. Instead, they took their opportunity and followed Carissa to the cell. Obi-Wan was moved to a different cell, but the rest of the group stayed.

The entertainment women entered the cell, and Anakin stood up, looking at Carissa, who was leaning against the wall just outside of the cell and looking in. Her arms were folded across her chest, and Anakin could see that something burned in her shining, glossy eyes. Was it anger? But why?

He didn't have much time to contemplate this, for the women soon surrounded him. "You look like some fun," the Twi' lek said. Anakin guessed that she was kind of the leader of things. "And we are _certainly_ going to have some fun."

The women untucked his shirt and slowly slid their hands up his chest and back. They were smiling sweet smiles, and it made Anakin sick. He knew that he really didn't have a choice. He could kill them right then, but he was afraid of what would happen to Obi-Wan if he did. Obi-Wan had been moved, and Anakin wasn't able to contact him with the Force-suppression collar.

The women slowly slipped his shirt off and wrapped their arms around him, stroking his muscled arms and chest. They slowly pushed him down onto a nearby bench. One girl took a seat on top of him, and the other two sat on either side of him, their hands steadily moving downward.

Suddenly, blaster fire broke out. The three women and Anakin looked up, startled. Carissa immediately kicked into self-defense mode and pulled out her blaster, standing erect. "Get out of here," she ordered the women. They didn't need any bidding. They quickly moved away from Anakin and stumbled out of the cell door, which Carissa had opened for them.

Carissa quickly closed the door after the women left. She didn't need them getting hurt. She'd have to answer to Sidious for that. She didn't need Anakin getting hurt, either; but she wasn't sure that she could trust Anakin with the women. Or maybe it was the other way around. Either way, she had to keep him in the cell. It didn't matter. She would be able to defend him. She would defend him until the death if she had to, which she probably would… the death of her opponent that is.

The blaster fire drew closer. Anakin could hear it. He quickly put his shirt back on and tucked it in and went over to stand by the door of his cell. Carissa's teeth were clenched, and her hand was tight around the blaster, but those were the only signs of stress she showed. She wasn't even developing the tiniest bit of sweat. Anakin was a little surprised at it, but he didn't spend much time on that thought, for at that moment, their adversary rushed around the corner…

**Don't ask me why I'm being so mean. I don't know. I guess I just feel like it. Besides, these cliffhangers keep people reading my story… I hope. Anyway, please review. I know this is a lot shorter of a chapter than most, and it got kind of gross. But trust me. That won't happen again. (And the rating will be going back down after this and shouldn't go back up again.) Please tell me what you think, and I'll try to get the next chapter up soon:) ;)**


	9. General Grievous

** Hands of the Dark Side**

**Hi. Me again. Anyway, sorry about not updating for so long last chapter; but I wasn't getting a whole lot of reviews. I said I wanted sixteen reviews total to update the last chapter. Is that really so much to ask? It was only six more reviews. I didn't get sixteen reviews, but I had to update anyway. I had my reasons, though you could probably figure them out. Anyway, why don't you just read the next chapter?**

Chapter Nine

General Grievous

Obi-Wan steadily pushed the droids back with his newfound lightsaber. As he rounded the corner, he saw Carissa standing there with a blaster in her hand. He hadn't even had time to see her before he heard the blaster go off, and he hadn't known it was Carissa's blaster. So as he rounded the corner, the bolt connected with his right shoulder, the one that as best to hold a lightsaber. _Great_, Obi-Wan thought.

Carissa had used the Force to time her shot just right. She knew that it would hit her opponent as soon as he rounded the corner. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Anakin standing right next to her in his cell, trying to see their opponent. Both of them had seen the guards being pushed back, and Carissa didn't know if Anakin had drawn to the same conclusion that she had. Obi-Wan had gotten loose. She was going to _kill_ those guards when she got her hands on them!

Obi-Wan felt the pain explode in his shoulder. He quickly switched his lightsaber over to his left hand as Carissa fired again. He blocked it and pushed forward. He did his best to block all her shots, and he was doing pretty well, until…

Carissa reached down to her waist and retrieved something. What it was made Obi-Wan and Anakin's eyes widen. She ignited it, and a crimson blade appeared. It was a lightsaber. She smiled and relished in the thought that she had once again frightened her guests. She moved forward to meet Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan knew he didn't have a chance against her. She had been able to mask her Force signature from a whole Temple of Jedi, had been able to fool both Anakin and Obi-Wan, and had captured them. The fact that his right arm was useless wasn't very helpful either. He watched as Carissa moved toward him.

Anakin thought that Obi-Wan should just give up then. He didn't want him getting hurt. With Anakin useless in his cell, Obi-Wan was a sure loser. Anakin wasn't even sure they would be able to defeat her even if it was both of them.

Carissa walked toward Obi-Wan and stopped right in front of him. She smiled, and it grew into a grin when she saw the confused look cross over Obi-Wan's normally emotionless face. She reached down to her waist and retrieved another object, Anakin's lightsaber. She ignited it, but she held both lightsabers down at her side. "Drop the lightsaber," she commanded.

Obi-Wan didn't have a choice. He _definitely_ didn't stand a chance against two lightsabers and a _very_ unique Force-sensitive girl when he had a useless right arm, one lightsaber, and a Force-suppression collar. He dropped his head and sighed. Then he deactivated his lightsaber and dropped it to the ground.

Carissa never stopped smiling. She knew that the Jedi didn't have a chance. She glanced back at Anakin, and her eyes clouded over once again. Why was her lord doing all this for him if he was already considering joining the Dark Side? Why not just show him the Dark Side and let Palpatine do the talking?

Then she once again focused her attention on Obi-Wan. She used the Force to grab his lightsaber, and she clipped it to her waist. Then she guided Obi-Wan back to his cell and cleaned up his wound. It wasn't surprising that nobody said anything the entire time. They were all too wrapped up in their thoughts, and Carissa was trying to hurry so that she could go see her Master. He had contacted her through the Force and told her that she was needed.

Once Carissa finished, she quickly put all the supplies away and headed out the cell. She appointed four guards to the cell, one of them being one that had let Obi-Wan escape. She grabbed his collar and said, "If you _ever_ let somebody so important or actually _anybody_ for that matter, you'll need guarding yourself." The guard gulped fearfully and nodded. As soon as Carissa let him go, he ran to his post and stayed there.

Carissa walked down the corridors until she reached the throne room, taking her usual kneeling stance when she reached the center of the room. "Rise, my servant," Sidious told her as usual. She was beginning to wonder why he had made it sound so urgent. Everything was normal. "I suppose you're wondering why you're here," Sidious said, reading her clearly. A look of surprise crossed Carissa's face, but she quickly recomposed herself and nodded. "I'm sure you're aware of the new project we have been working on?" Sidious raised an eyebrow to her as he stood up.

"Yes, my lord," Carissa replied.

"You have no doubt not been given the facts or what it is," Sidious said.

"Not to their fullest extent, my lord," Carissa replied, trying to disguise her annoyance at his questions and her impatience.

"You are about to find out, and I need you're help to test him," Sidious said.

_"Him?"_ Carissa wanted to ask. She didn't have the chance, however, as the Force warned her; and she dodged just in time to avoid a lightsaber. She whirled around, igniting her own lightsaber and Anakin's. What she saw almost caused her jaw to drop. Standing before her was a white robot. It had to be at least six feet tall. There were many lightsabers attached at its waist, and it had smashed one of them down in the exact same place Carissa had been standing.

"You are pleased?" Sidious asked.

"He has amazing wit and reflexes, my lord. I believe that he will turn out to be a great fighter," Carissa replied.

"I'd hoped you would like him. His name is General Grievous," Sidious said. "I was going to have you give him Skywalker's lightsaber to add to his collection, but I decided that you may keep it. Now, I would like you to go to the training room and spar with him. I want to see how well he fares."

Carissa inwardly smiled. Sidious had said how well _he_ fared, not _her_. Sidious had confidence that she would do a perfect job. "Yes, my lord," Carissa said with a bow. She and Grievous walked to the sparring room, followed closely by Sidious and Palpatine.

As soon as they arrived, Carissa dropped into a fighting stance, both lightsabers in either hand. Grievous also prepared for the fight. He suddenly pushed out an extra set of hands, which surprised Carissa even more. _What an interesting turn_, she thought. _I might have to do a little cheating myself._

The signal was soon given, and Carissa and Grievous started their fight. Each did many flips and different turns. About halfway into the battle, Carissa was covered in a light film of sweat. _This guy is good_, she thought. _It's time for me to start countering._ At that moment, she did a Force-flip, Force-pushing Grievous at the same time.

And at that moment, the lights decided to go out. As Grievous recovered, and he and Carissa continued their spar, their blurry lightsabers were the only light in the room, continually bouncing about and just flashes of color.

Suddenly, Grievous deactivated his lightsaber; and Carissa barely heard the whoosh of his cloak as he moved. _Odd. What is he doing?_ Carissa didn't deactivate her lightsabers, for she sensed danger through the Force. She suddenly knew what he was planning. Although she had the Force to guide her and help her see, he had the much better ground with his night vision and anything else that he might have.

Carissa walked around slowly. The warning from the Force was getting stronger, and she knew that the danger was only seconds away. She braced herself and curled her hands tighter around the hilts of her lightsabers.

Suddenly, something dropped down on her from above. She rolled out of the way, quickly recovering and dropping back into a fighting stance as she recovered. Her place suddenly became defense, as Grievous pushed her back. She parried every blow and tried to shift her position to push him back, but it was no use. She suddenly found out why Sidious had asked her to train with him. He was an amazing sparring partner, and Carissa suddenly found herself doubting whether she was going to win.

Finally, the spar came to an end. Carissa had just been beginning to push Grievous back once more, but Sidious had apparently grown tired of watching them. The lights came back on, and Carissa squinted against their brightness. She and Grievous deactivated their lightsabers and bowed to each other. "He is better than any Jedi," Sidious said, walking over to Carissa, who was drying herself off. "What did you think?"

"He is definitely a challenging sparring partner, but that doesn't show me what he can do out in the open against real Jedi," Carissa replied, taking a drink of water.

Sidious smiled. "Wise words, my servant."

"Thank you, my lord," Carissa said. "If you'll excuse me, I must go and clean up."

"Of course," Sidious replied, stepping out of her way.

As Carissa headed down the long corridors once again, an alarm suddenly went off. Carissa recognized it as the alarm for intruders in the hangar for the ships. Carissa suddenly broke out into a run and rounded the corner, where the two Jedi were supposed to be. Sure enough, the guards were unconscious on the floor; and Kenobi and Skywalker were nowhere to be found.

Carissa cursed silently and ran to the hangar. She was probably the closest, and she got there just in time to see the two Jedi jumping into one of the Imperial's stolen transports, this one happening to be a Naboo Starfighter. She grabbed a blaster that was also attached around her waist and started shooting. It was no use, of course.

Carissa watched as the Jedi took off and left, leaving her standing there. "I _will_ find you again," Carissa vowed. "You won't get away that easily. And when we meet again, I'm not going to be the sweet girl you knew. You're going to pay."

**So, what'd you think? Sorry that the chapter is a lot shorter than usual. I can tell you, they are _not_ going to get off that easily. I just remembered some other things that I needed to put in. I promise, it will start getting better again in the later chapters. I also promise that this is going to be a _very_ long story. So please just stick with me, and I'll try to keep updating quickly. Warning: There will be quite a few twists coming up, so just bear with me please. Oh, and PLEASE REVIEW!**


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